Inside Out, Upside Down: Warped
by E E Merica
Summary: Whisked away from his home planet by a Harlequin to be used as a weapon against chaos, Naruto finds himself thrust on to the galactic stage where he has countless enemies, and markedly few allies. No need to read the parent work to understand what is going on. Hiatus due to classload. Back in December 2014 at the latest.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Games Workshop, The Black Library, Warhammer 40K or any related copyrights, trademarks, properties, or characters. I am in no way profiting from this literary venture except from the comments and reviews that I receive, which will only help me improve my writing.**

_**Claimer: I own the Nikuton. So please, don't rip it off. Or I will find you. Unless you ask for my express permission first, then it might be okay. To reiterate, the concept belongs to me. I also own Helveynia.**_

**AN: So hey! This piece was as much a surprise to me as it is to any of you who are familiar with its parent work, 'Inside Out, Upside Down.' Inside Out, Upside Down: Warped is set about sixty to eighty years after the events of IOUD, and, I can't stress this enough, it does not necessarily reflect the conditions at the end of Inside Out, Upside Down. This was an idea that came to me and a reader while we were Dialoguing, this was not planned. Everybody thank **_**holya**_** for giving me this idea, as well as being the chief beta and partner on this project. Without any further ado, I believe that it is time to begin.**

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

**"Non-human speech"**

_**"Non-human thoughts"**_

* * *

** Kusa no Kuni: A Secluded Place, 12:00, Regular Time**

A Harlequin Solitaire stepped out of the webway, and her senses were immediately inundated in the natural beauty of a world left in the care of the Exodites. This planet was not originally an Eldar world, rather it was a unique example of mankind that had been left untouched by the 'protective' influence of the Imperium of Man and stood outside of the light of their emperor's Astronomicon. Here stood a shining example of humanities value in the fight against The Ruinous Powers. This planet was home to a disproportionate amount of human Psykers that had harnessed their powers without the need of the oversight of the Holy Orders of the Imperium. These human psykers stood uncorrupted by the denizens of the Immaterium; even the most degenerate among them were not the tools of the Chaos Gods, merely victims of their own desires, yet they showed no signs of corruption beyond standard, voluntary body modification rooted in science.

She had been ordered to the world by the Black Council. Among the Humans of this planet, they had observed one whom had power that dwarfed that of his peers many times over, and who showed signs of Illumination and a knowledge of the Sea of Souls for what it actually was. He needed to be removed before he threatened the delicate balance of this world, and yet, if possible, he needed to be preserved for the potential he showed if he proved to be without taint. If this human 'shinobi,' if this Uzumaki, apparently called 'The Lord of Flesh' in equal parts fear and awe by his fellows, was truly illuminated, and truly as powerful as they seemed to think, then it was paramount that he be brought before the black council and used against the forces of the Ruinous Powers. Perhaps he could be used to tip the scales in favor of the forces of order. Perhaps he could assist the Craftworlds currently locked in combat trying to stem the tide of the Thirteenth Black Crusade alongside the Imperium's Inquisition and their Angels of Death. Perhaps he could change everything. The Solitaire, however, did not share the Black Council's confidence in a single human, no matter how powerful he might be.

"Where will I find him?" The Solitaire asked the leader of the Exodite wardens that stood before her.

"Come." The Exodite intoned, before turning around, and leading the lone Harlequin away from the webway portal.

* * *

Untouched by his many years, Naruto Uzumaki sat still as a statue as he extended his awareness away from himself. Yet again, he'd sensed a massive spike of pure Yin chakra, spiritual energy. This signature's chakras were severely out of balance, its Yang chakra seemed stunted, almost nonexistent next to its Yin, and it seemed altogether foreign and less… stable than chakra as he knew it. Moreover it was moving towards him.

Naruto rose to his feet, the innumerable amount of bronzed trophies hanging from his coat banging together noisily, and purposefully. He divested himself of the skulls by way of a storage array inscribed on his coat, before grabbing a massive, bandaged sword and draping it over his shoulder, he then turned toward the signature before setting off through the wood at a breakneck pace. His unease only grew as he drew nearer to the tumultuous, foreign chakra signature. As he approached a clearing, he slowed his pace to a calm, measured walk, and then stepped through the break in the trees, only to be met with what could only be described as a clown being led by two rather fey looking warriors with elongated heads, pointed ears, and long delicate limbs that still somehow conveyed a sense of power.

Naruto rested Samehada on the ground, and then abruptly let his previously suppressed chakra spring free at full force. He wasn't attempting to intimidate these… these guests, merely attempting to let them know he meant business. He heard them speaking to each other in a lilting language that he couldn't understand, then the one who resembled a clown stepped forward and began speaking in a language he didn't recognize, though he could understand a word here and there.

He shook his head and put up his hands in a gesture that he hoped they would understand meant to stop. "I don't understand what your say-" He cringed at a sudden burning sensation in the storage seal on his arm. He bit his thumb and drew it down the seal, and his hammer dropped in to his waiting palm. _"What is it?"_

"**Naruto, she's speaking Low Gothic. I can translate for you." **Helveynia told him, he got a flash of a wicked smile on her face for a second, **"Or, rather, I could allow you to understand what she's saying."**

"_How?" _Naruto thought at his possessed hammer.

"**It's a psychic link sort of thing. Weapon and wielder."** She sounded kind of irritated, probably because they hadn't seen much combat recently. **"Now just ask the nice Harlequin to start from the beginning."**

"_What? Just say that?" _Naruto asked incredulously. He received an affirmative jolt of heat from Helveynia, and then sighed. "Excuse me, but could you start over from the beginning? I didn't quite catch what you said."

"Ah, see. I told you he spoke gothic." One of the strange warriors said to the motley clad 'Harlequin.' Of course, to Naruto's ear it was the same lilting language that they had been conversing in earlier, but somehow he now knew what they were saying.

"Perhaps, but I'm more concerned with how he produced that hammer. It resonates with the warp, and it seems to drip malice." One of the other warriors said.

"Excuse me." Naruto said, sounding rather irritated, "Helveynia can be a bitch, but she is by no means malicious; you have no right to talk that way about my hammer. You haven't even met her."

A gurgling, buzzing sound came from Samehada, and the two exodite warriors jumped back in fright. The Harlequin merely glanced down at strange sword, and then stepped forward. "You are Naruto Uzumaki?" The Harlequin asked. Now that Naruto could understand the language being spoken, he could tell the voice sounded feminine.

Glancing down at Samehada, who was worried about how off their chakra felt and didn't think they were trustworthy, Naruto looked at the graceful, colorfully dressed figure in front of him, and shifted his features to convey indifference. "Who wants to know?" he said calmly, though his voice was colored with suspicion.

The woman crossed her arms in front of her, though her right hand was near enough to the staff she had strapped to her back that she could grab it at a moment's notice to meet any threat she might perceive. Naruto noted this, and slipped Helveynia's haft through a loop on his belt, before placing his palm on Samehada's pommel. The fact that she was wearing a blank, smooth mask with naught but the likeness of comedy for adornment made it difficult to gauge her intentions, and thus if her body language said she was preparing for conflict, Naruto wouldn't allow himself to be caught off guard.

The Harlequin shook her head, before speaking again. "The Black Council felt your presence in The Sea of Souls and the Farseers have read the signs and seen the omens. The barest muted echoes of your presence is causing great upheaval in the warp, and, at their behest, I have been sent to retrieve you." She paused to allow her words to sink in before her hand drifted to her staff. "Willing or not."

"At least I now know that what little information you have on me is sorely lacking." He let out a disconcerting bark of laughter before a massive, unnerving grin split his face. "I've served none but myself since the fall of Konohagakure fifty years ago, and when I work for others, it is only for my own benefit. Tell me now, what makes your Black Council think that their words mean anything to me?"

A cloud drifted in front of the sun, and bathed the clearing in shadow. The Solitaire took her staff from her back and planted it in the ground, at the ready, but not overtly hostile. The tension in the air rose a bit, as Naruto shifted his grip on Samehada so he'd be ready to rip the blade free of the soft ground, but made no move to do so. "Tell me Uzumaki, what makes you think you have a choice in the matter? You are nothing to me, merely an objective. I do not wish to end you, but I will not hesitate to end your life if you refuse to cooperate."

The woman's grating sense of superiority was getting on Naruto's nerves. She had, although completely inadvertently, found one of his buttons and proceeded to incessantly smash it. Her body language and stance made it painfully obvious that she was not taking him seriously; she only saw him as a package to be subdued if necessary, and then delivered to her Black Council. He allowed his killer intent to flare a bit, and directed it at the three individuals in front of him. It was oddly satisfying to see the two warriors accompanying her begin to sweat profusely, though the woman only tensed up.

"_This pressure and malevolence? What manner of warpcraft is this!? No mere human psyker should be able to project an aura this intense! This intensity… it feels almost daemonic." _She took a deep breath to clear her head, but not before she had subtly and instinctually shifted in to a combat ready stance. "Mon'keigh, cease this at once. I do not wish you ill, but I will not hesitate to force you to come with me."

Over the course of the past few minutes, the clouds in the sky had thickened, now a stormy grey. A cold, heavy drizzle began to fall, as if the weather had chosen to change to suit the mood of the drama playing out on the ground below. Now it weighed down Naruto's coat, and made the Solitaire's crimson hair cling to her neck in small strands. The already moist earth beneath them was slowly turning to mud, and the two others, now just mere witnesses to the coming conflict between two warriors that were worlds above them, cowered at the edge of the clearing as the aura of killer intent projected by Naruto only grew in intensity.

The grin on Naruto's face grew wider, and, now, could only be described as maniacal. "Many greater than you have tried, and they have all failed to bend The Lord of Flesh to their will." Naruto's smile narrowed as he hefted Samehada up and slung the blade over his shoulder. "I will not begrudge you your attempt to dominate me. Very well, you may try."

The Harlequin's body language betrayed irritation and the beginnings of rage as she rose to his bait and sprang in to action. She activated her Dread Mask as she jumped in to the air, hoping to end the conflict quickly, she span her staff, and brought it down towards the arrogant human's head, attempting to put him in his place and be done with it. Much to her chagrin, it would not be that simple. In a swift move that the Solitaire's eyes could barely follow, Naruto shifted his massive blade, and caught her staff on the 'flat,' tearing away some of the bandages that covered the blade when she disengaged.

She was mildly shocked, and a little intrigued when she saw that the sword was, in fact, made up of countless large, razor sharp scales that resembled the teeth of some predatory beast. Even more shocking was the fact that his blade, no matter how unconventional, should not have been able to mark the psychically charged wraithbone of her staff, and yet, somehow, three shallow grooves had been carved in to her staff where it had met his blade. She quashed the sudden wave of unease that welled up inside of her with this development, and made to strike again, now taking a more cautious approach.

Though it had lasted a fraction of a second, Naruto sensed her moment of unease, and capitalized on it by pressing his sudden advantage. Moving at unbelievable speeds, he covered the distance between them in the blink of an eye, so fast that not even the targeting systems built in to the Solitaire's mask could follow him. Before she could register that he was mere feet in front of her, he had placed the 'edge' of his blade against her shoulder, and then ripped it down her arm, shredding her armor and leaving more than a few superficial, though very painful, wounds down its length.

Despite the mask hiding her features, he still saw her wince in pain thanks to the movements of her neck muscles. He then jumped back just the tiniest bit as she pulled a pistol shaped object that looked utterly alien in design. Despite its foreign appearance, Naruto still recognized it as a firearm; curious, but still unconcerned, he merely threw a couple of shuriken at her that bounced off of her armor. He'd expected no less based off of the force he'd had to apply to shred the armor off of her arms.

Taking advantage of what seemed to be a fatal mistake on Naruto's part, she quickly took aim, and launched a hail of shuriken from her pistol that tore in to his left thigh and forced him to take a knee since his leg could no longer support his weight. She didn't see it, but a satisfied grin split Naruto's face as he doubled over in feigned pain, he flashed through a familiar set of hand seals, holding the last one as the Harlequin slowly and cautiously approached him.

"This outcome of this engagement was settled before it even started, human. It would have been so much easier if you had just come quietly." Her voice held the tiniest tinge of regret as she readied her staff for a finishing blow.

"Perhaps if you had come for me thirty years ago, that would be the case. Right now, however, I fear you are out of your depth." Naruto said, unnervingly calm. "Nikuton: Chikirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Bloody Mist Technique)."

The barest instant of confusion staid the Solitaire's hand, and that was all the time Naruto needed to take a deep breath and expel a thick, pinkish mist that was choked with the scent of spilled blood. Before her very eyes, Naruto seemed to fade in to the gruesome haze, until he disappeared from her perception all together.

A racking cough rang through the clearing, seemingly coming from all directions at once and lacking any sort of indication of his actual location. "The look of fear, uncertainty, and disgust has been the same on the face of every single person unfortunate enough to watch me disappear in to my bloody mist." Once more his voice carried out from every direction, though this time he seemed to be openly mocking her. "You've lost. Lay down your arms, and, perhaps, I shall allow you to explain why you are here. At the very least, I shall allow you to leave with dignity."

"I'll never admit defeat to you, mon'keigh." She snarled as she assumed a defensive stance, gripping her staff with both hands. She was extremely unsettled by the unconventional nature of this human's warpcraft, and she was struggling to keep herself from showing any fear.

"Very well." Naruto's voice was empty of all emotion beyond the barest hint of resignation. The leaves of the surrounding trees rustled, and the Eldar woman turned sharply only to be met by nothing. The rain had grown progressively harder and she shivered a bit as a breeze blew past her left ear. She snapped to the left, lashing out with her staff, only to meet nothing. Before she could recover, she felt the barest hint of warmth on her ear. "It's over." Naruto whispered as he slid three senbon needles home in her neck, making her go limp, and fall to the ground with a muted thud.

"Leave." His voice rang out, backed by the full force of his killing intent, and, like frightened animals, the two Exodite warriors fled from the clearing; all attempts at stealth and all thoughts of the Solitaire trapped in the clearing with the disgustingly powerful human thrown to the wind.

Naruto looked down at his prisoner. "I do not mean you any harm, Harlequin. I merely wish to know your true purpose." Her eyes hardened, gaining a look of hollow triumph, as if even in defeat, she had gained a small victory. "To that end, I shall simply take the information from you."

His confidence almost made her falter, but her resolve held. She knew that he wouldn't be able to breach her mental defenses, no matter how intense the mental assault. Calmly, almost smugly, she looked on as he began forming hand seals. After the fifteenth, he stopped and placed his fingertips on her temples. "Nikuton: Shinkei Dokusho (Neural Reading)."

Her eyes widened in horror as a jolt of electricity passed from his fingertips and into her skull, and he grinned. A wide, satisfied grin that said he'd gotten exactly what he wanted. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was that satisfied grin and his blackened fingertips coming away from her face.

* * *

**Kusa no Kuni: Outside the Webway Portal, 20:00, Regular Time**

The Solitaire awoke with a gasp, surprised to still be alive. She found herself out of the audibly heavy rain, and dry. Moreover, there was a fire nearby; she could tell from the warmth, light, and smell of smoke and she had been covered by a surprisingly heavy, long coat like the one Uzumaki had been wearing.

_"Uzumaki! Why did he leave me alive?" _She wondered as she sat up with a veiled wince. She glanced down at her injured arm, only to see that it had been healed without a scar. She felt her neck, looking for any indication of the needles he'd stabbed her with, only to find it unmarred. The only indication that she'd been attacked was the tearing in her armor, and the wraithbone was already attempting to repair itself. She glanced around, and found her staff and pistol on the ground next to her, and saw her captor sitting cross legged in front of the shelter he'd probably erected himself.

"For one who is supposed to hide every emotional response, you do an extremely poor job of it." Naruto said without turning towards her or even otherwise acknowledging that she was awake. It took her a moment to register, but he was speaking the Eldar tongue fluently, and not haltingly like the other humans she had heard attempt to speak it either. It was as if he'd been raised speaking the language. "Don't worry. I have no intention of killing you, Solitaire. Or should I call you Parya?"

"How do you know my name?" She asked as calmly as she could make herself sound. She had schooled her body language in an attempt to hide her emotions, but there was a slight waiver in her voice.

"The same way I know your language. I read it from your brain and assimilated it. I know your mission. Your childhood in Commoragh, Your library. Your Troupe that was slaughtered in front of you. Your Laughing God that saw fit to intercede on your behalf and save you from the Word Bearers." He paused to allow what he'd told her to sink in, and then turned to face her. "I know of the Imperium, the Ruinous Powers, the isolation of my world. Most importantly, I know why your black council sent you to fetch me. Take me to your library. Take me to this council of yours. I would have words with them."

"What?" Parya asked, barely able to process what this human had just told her. It was like he'd taken all her memories, everything she knew, and made it his. She felt violated, wronged, and yet she couldn't bring herself to hate this human for his actions. He was merely there, she had threatened him, and he had taken the information he needed to decide what kind of a threat she posed to his person.

"Take me to the Black Council. I'll go with you willingly. I wouldn't be able to find this library of yours anyway." Naruto said as he stood up. He pulled his coat off of her by the hem, and put it back on, but not before she'd seen a vast array of complicated tattoos covering his arms. He rolled his arms to make the garment ride comfortably, and then offered her a hand. "Lead on, Harlequin. The webway is your realm, and I'm leaving mine. Maybe for good, if your memories are any indication."

She grabbed her weapons and carefully stood up, making sure to keep Naruto in her line of sight. He hadn't shown any tells that would say he was deceiving her, but with his kind of power it was always better safe than sorry. "You're ready to leave now?"

"Not quite." Naruto said. He channeled chakra into the storage array inscribed on his coat, and his bronzed skulls appeared in an explosion of smoke and a cacophony of hollow metal striking hollow metal. He draped Samehada over his shoulder, and turned to face her in a storm of clangorous noise. "Now I'm ready to leave."

Parya merely looked at him before setting off towards the gateway to the webway. She wasn't sure what to think of the collection of grisly trophies that had suddenly appeared dangling from his coat. They were reminiscent of the followers of the Blood God, and yet she sensed no chaotic taint in him. She took a deep breath, and stepped through the portal, though she was plagued by a nagging feeling that things would be irreversibly changed for her from this point forward.

Naruto followed her, never once looking back as he took his first steps into a galaxy tearing itself apart with eternal warfare. It sounded… homey.

* * *

Aimlessly wandering the webway in search of the Black Library, Ahzek Ahriman's attention snapped back to reality as he sensed the echoes of a massive warp presence in the webway. It seemed at least as powerful as a greater daemon of chaos, and yet utterly foreign to him. His interest was piqued. He would find this new, previously unknown power and, whatever it took, bend it to his will. This knowledge was his, he would claim it as was his prerogative. No, as was his right.

* * *

With a vast, albeit unnecessary, intake of breath, Khorne spoke. **"U'ZUHL, MY SACRED EXECUTIONER, YOUR LOST SISTER HAS RETURNED. BRING HER BACK TO ME WITH THE SKULL OF HER BEARER." **The Blood God rose from his throne of skulls to look down upon his favored servant. **"SEEK OUT KHARN AMONG MY MORTAL SERVANTS, THEN WITH HIM IN TOW, GO FORTH AND ENACT MY WILL."**

U'zuhl bowed his head in deference to his master. **"Thy will be done." **Their dialogue finished, U'zuhl left the Brass Citadel first in search of the Blood God's favored mortal champion, and then in search his wayward sister, Helveynia.

* * *

Tzeentch looked up from the skeins of fate he'd been manipulating as a new, rather thick and radiant one emerged from the mass of threads. He gave it a tug, only for it to pull back. He started to pull away the surrounding strands until he was left with only two strands, irrevocably interwoven. The smaller one that had originally sat beneath his notice belonged to an Eldar that he had used towards his ends before, only to be thwarted by Cegorach. The larger of the two strands was completely foreign to him, and yet, at its core, seemed to be inherently human. Further attempts to alter its course or even subtly nudge it in one direction or another met with repeated failures until the Lord of Change looked ahead and noted that it crossed paths with one of his more… recalcitrant servants.

_**"Interesting." **_The Changer of Ways thought. _**"It seems it has begun."**_

* * *

Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, driving force behind one of the most successful WAAAGH!s in millennia, was racked with pain as he was beset with a new and powerful vision. He saw a human of roughly average stature wearing a long, dark coat with countless bronzed skulls draped over his shoulders. Wreathed in flame and crackling with lightning, the human strode forward, swinging a large, brass hammer, smashing anything and everything that stood in his way to a pulp, be it the Legions of Chaos, Tyranids, Tau, Necron, or even Space Marines. His hammer struck and they were crushed like nothing. The vision died, and Warlord Ghazghkull knew what he would do next: find that human. How he would accomplish this, and to what end he did not yet know, but countless years of warfare and campaigning had conditioned him to trust these visions.

Thus, when Hive Fleet Leviathan made landfall on Octaria, Ghazghkull and his Goff Guard had already set out to find the human in the warlord's vision.

* * *

The Golden Throne crackled with psychic power as the Emperor perceived a change in the warp's current. The barest hint of a new and vast power, and yet he couldn't determine its intentions at this point. He dedicated what little psychic focus he could to monitoring this presence as he returned his focus to projecting his psychic beacon.

* * *

The shockwaves of Naruto's first steps into the wider galaxy, his first steps out of the secluded pocket of space where the Eldar had long ago tucked away his home planet using technologies and directives left to them by the Old Ones, were felt across the whole of the Milkyway. Now that he was in contact with the wider warp, and on his way to one of the most storied and sought after locations in history, he could feel the ripples he was creating, though he didn't quite know how.

* * *

**The Black Library, 06:00 By Naruto's Timepiece, Distorted Time**

Traversing the webway was a strange and new experience for Naruto. To put it bluntly, he was awestruck by the foreign appearance of his surroundings, as well as the visible energies. Occasionally they would encounter other Eldar, but thanks to Parya's presence they had no trouble. After what was, according to Naruto's pocket watch he kept tucked away inside of his coat, only ten hours, but had felt like days, they arrived at a vast black construct that was slowly moving through the webway.

Declaring that they'd reached their destination, Parya led Naruto inside to the meeting chamber of the Black Council. Standing in a dark room, all Naruto could see was a raised semicircular table in front of him. He could hear other people in the room breathing, but he couldn't actually see them. There was little light, and all of it seemed to be directed at him and Parya. He knew an interrogation when he saw one, or, at least, an interrogation room. Obviously this Black Council wanted to question him. He wasn't restrained and no one had even attempted to confiscate his weapons, so they either didn't have any ill intentions, or were sufficiently confident in their ability to subdue him if things didn't go well.

"Do you believe in a higher power, Uzumaki?" This first question, delivered by a voice that was gravelly, and yet still musical, almost blindsided Naruto. He blinked as he considered how to frame his response. He was no fool. He could sense the repressed power of those questioning him, and, though he was confident in his ability to best any, if not all, of them in battle, he was not overly eager to gain firsthand experience of a farseers talents.

Despite everything he'd gleaned when he read Parya's memories, despite everything he now knew, he could not admit that he did. There was no such thing as absolute power, and gods were a misnomer. Knowing that fallible mortals could wield the greatest powers of creation and manipulate the forces that governed the heavens, Naruto did not believe in any god. Having seen individuals with the power to raise the dead, he knew for certain that if ever there was a god, he was dead and gone now. He could not bring himself to acknowledge these supposed Chaos Gods, or any purported deity, as all powerful or all knowing. He found the very thought anathemic to the life he'd lived. More than once, he'd bested and, though on markedly fewer occasions, slain individuals who'd claimed to be equal in power to gods.

After a period of contemplation that lasted a couple of minutes, Naruto gave his answer. "No." Clipped, concise, and to the point. He couldn't gauge whether or not the individuals seated above him were satisfied with the answer, nor did he care in particular.

"You place no faith in anything greater than yourself?" This question came from a feminine voice, inquisitive yet slightly reproachful, it sounded as if she was both fascinated and slightly offended by his black and white answer.

Naruto merely shook his head. "No. I have faith in myself and my companions." Naruto paused for a second, knowing that his next words would seem to be those of a prideful lout. "I'm hard pressed to find anything greater than myself."

One of the council members above him bristled at this. "You, a mon'keigh, think yourself greater than the Eldar?" This voice was dripping with anger and contempt. It was likely the thought of being considered inferior by a member of a 'lesser' race that had him so incensed. "And yet before now you did not know of the galaxy beyond your back water planet."

"Then why send your envoy to retrieve me at all? Doesn't my very presence her in your council chamber, in your library, state that there is some task that you are incapable of completing on your own?" Naruto demanded. He wasn't done though. "The lengths to which you went to bring me here betray your lack of faith in your own ability to protect your race. I'm here now. Would you like to do anything beyond question me on matters of faith or belittle my race?"

At this point, many voices rose in an unintelligible conflict, though it was quite obvious they were arguing because of Naruto words. That much seemed abundantly clear to him. When the conflict between the various councilors came to a head, one voice rose above all the others. It demanded obedience, and the force of personality behind it was enough to command the attention of all present in the room.

"Silence." This man left no room for challenge. "You have been brought here to be used as a weapon against the tide of chaos. That you stand before us is evidence enough that you have not been corrupted by the denizens of the warp. You are here to learn how to serve a purpose. To gain the necessary skills and knowledge to become an effective tool against the Ruinous Powers."

At this, Naruto laughed. Hysterically, maddeningly, like a man disturbed. Somehow he'd known it would come back to that. Somehow he knew that, despite being separated by dimensions, species, and unknowable distance, these people would want the same thing from him as anyone else who had ever sought him out. They needed a tool, more specifically an exceptionally powerful and flexible thinking weapon. It seemed that things would never change. As his laughter rang out through the large room, Naruto looked directly at the place where the voice had come from.

"I see. You've found yourself in need of an obedient drone of sufficient strength to protect your interests. Leave me to your library. I'm no stranger to serving as a tool for those who think themselves my betters." Naruto turned and stalked out of the room, much to shock and consternation of the assembled farseers. "Perhaps they'd be less eager to attempt to manipulate me if they were more familiar with my personal history." He muttered darkly as he passed the novice Solitaire.

Parya was the only one to hear his implied threat.

* * *

With an army of Shadow clones at his disposal, Naruto made relatively quick work of poring over the accumulated lore of the Black Library. He scoured the stacks and shelves for all the useful information he could find, and he assimilated it. Quickly and easily. The library was very well organized, with the Daemon lore of the various powers having their own sections in the library, as well as a section for Chaos Undivided, and a tower dedicated to mankind's war against chaos.

On his way out of the tower, Naruto noticed a small corridor that lead to a section of the library that seemed rather disused. Inside, he found a small cache of information on Malal: The Outcast God, embodiment of the anarchic and self-destructive tendencies of chaos. Naruto was intrigued. A god out for the destruction of the other chaos gods. A force for balance, it seemed. Or at least, potentially, a useful lead for when he left the Black Library.

While Naruto devoured the wisdom stored in the library, Parya, through an incredible display of perceptiveness, clung to the original like a shadow. As far as Naruto knew, she was acting on her own initiative. From what he'd collected from the scarce interactions he'd had with the various Black Councillors, they held little to know actual sway over the cadre of Solitaires that frequented the Black Library; they only answered to their Laughing God, who acted in much the same fashion as a Solitaire when he wasn't battling for their souls with the Chaos God of deviant sex fiends.

Once Naruto learned the lay of the library, his army of shadow clones set to work assimilating the vast stored knowledge of the dark Craftworld. After about three months within the library, Naruto had learned everything he'd need to know about the forces of chaos. He prepared to leave the library and find a more settled area to make his way to. Perhaps he would find his way to a human world with a Warp Gate. Perhaps he'd find his way to the storied Dark City of Commoragh. Either way, he'd be leaving soon, and there was nothing the Black Council could do to keep him there any longer.

* * *

Still intent on monitoring the human that she'd been sent to retrieve, Parya turned for a moment only to see a Sojlitaire clothed in grey, blue, and sea green beckoning her over to him. He wore a mask much the same as her own, except it bore the likeness of tragedy instead of comedy, and he seemed to be armed with naught but a shuriken pistol and a Harlequin's Kiss. She nodded her head, waiting for her compatriot to say something.

**"Parya."** This voice was familiar and psychically empowered. **"Go with the Human. I bid you leave the Path of the Solitaire while you're still able. There are many paths on which you can better serve me."** The Laughing God looked at his favored child, and then took her gloved hand in his. **"This is the task I give you. Accompany this human through the galaxy."**

Through an effort that bespoke of Herculean self-control, Parya successfully hid her astonishment. "But one cannot leave The Path of the Solitaire once they have walked it."

**"Child, you have but taken the first steps along this path. Though you shall leave it a changed woman, you shall leave it all the same. Such is my will." **Cegorach's mask split in to a wide grin as his façade melted away. **"Go my child. Guide him and protect him from those who would misuse his strength. Do not allow him to be damned by the ignorance of the masses."**

The Laughing God faded from sight before Parya could respond, leaving her lost once again, cast out of the last and only home she knew.

* * *

Sparing a glance back at the vast trove of knowledge he was about to leave, likely never to return, Naruto saw a familiar figure, though with one striking difference: she wasn't wearing a mask. With her features now there for him to see, Naruto realized that she was quite striking in a decidedly exotic way. She had sculpted cheekbones, and a delicately pointed chin. Her ears were pointed, and her lips were full, and her pale skin only served to emphasize her rich, red hair. Objectively speaking she was quite beautiful.

"Lost your mask, Parya?" Naruto inquired as she drew closer to him. She was carrying her weapons and wore her armor. She looked as if she was resigned to some great journey. Which was rather odd on its own. She was openly showing emotion, not making even the slightest effort to hide them

"I suppose you could say that Uzumaki." She sounded as if she hadn't reached any sort of conclusion as far as what she thought of that. "Are you prepared to leave?"

"Oh? I didn't think you'd be accompanying me. Have you become infatuated with me? Or perhaps you've taken an interest in my wellbeing?" Naruto queried openly mocking the now unmasked Harlequin in front of him. "Regardless of your reasons, your company is appreciated. If I were left to my own devices while wandering the webway, there is no telling where in the galaxy I might emerge. At least with you along I don't have to worry about getting lost."

"Yes. Now you need only wonder where it is I take you. For all you know I could be condemning you to the slave pits of Commoragh to die in the arena." She grinned maliciously. "Or perhaps I could abandon you to the Inquisition. Let them study you and dissect you, until they ultimately burn you as a heretic and witch."

Naruto merely smiled at this. He'd learned much from the Black Library, including more of the various factions in the galaxy. Neither of the fates she'd suggested were particularly favorable, though he was fairly certain he'd be able to escape any prison they might attempt to throw him in. "Or perhaps we could emerge at the gates of a Fortress-Monastery. The Fang seems like a good choice to me. Fenris sounds like it would be a fun planet to visit."

Parya began moving towards the one of the corridors that lead to the myriad hangars and berthings that covered all Craftworlds. "Just follow me. I've lined up a small vessel for us, and have already figured out a suitable place for us to exit the webway." She looked back with a mischievous glint in her eye, "Though it is by no means safe."

Leading the way to a small hangar, Parya stopped at a small, cruel looking craft which she identified as a Venom, not that Naruto wasn't already at least marginally aware of that. It would suit their needs while they were in the webway, but once they were in real space, they'd have to find a proper vessel, even if it was just a small one, or else they would be stranded. It would be better to find something of Imperial make if they intended to ply the warp currents to reach the wider galazy, but, and both Parya and Naruto shared this outlook, it would be much better to take things one thing at a time, and thus they were not worried about acquiring a warpfaring vessel right now. Though it would be no simple task, it would be easy enough to steal a ship later on.

The unlikely pair clambered into the vessel, and then they set off in to the wider webway, headed to whatever destination it was that Parya had in mind.

* * *

**The Webway, 13:00 According to Armor Systems, Distorted time**

Ahriman, perhaps the most powerful mortal Chaos Sorcerer in existence, continued to wander the webway. He had left his warband to take care of themselves, and he had been mapping the webway, searching for the Black Library while avoiding the more commonly travelled passages for an indeterminate amount of time. In his penitent search to undo his rubric and understand The Changer of Ways, he had spent countless years gathering and internalizing knowledge. Now, he was searching for that greatest trove of arcane lore in the galaxy, and yet the echo of a presence was nagging at him.

It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, in fact it was rather nostalgic, bringing forth memories of the Corvidae. It reminded him of his moments of prescience. When he would be struck by some indication of future events. He no longer trusted them as he used to, and yet this one demanded his attention. Somewhere in the webway, there was a being of great power that he knew nothing about. The very notion spit in the face of his quest for knowledge and understanding, and thus, whatever it was, it would be his.

The echos drew nearer at a remarkable speed, as if they were flying through the webway, and then, before he had a chance to react, a powerful psychic presence tore through the air above him at breakneck speed, leaving him behind to seethe over missing his chance to add whoever, or whatever, it was to his collection.

* * *

"What was that back there?" Naruto asked as they hurtled over a large blue, ornamented, roughly man shaped figure.

"Nothing we want to be around." Parya said, recognizing the sorcerer for who he was, and wondering how he had gotten into the webway in the first place.

"I sensed him as we were approaching. He is obscenely powerful. Is that what I should expect out in the wider galaxy?" He inquired, curious as to whether or not the lone figure they had already left far behind was representative of psychic power in the galaxy.

Parya grinned. "Thankfully he isn't. We're getting close to where we'll have to abandon the Venom. Be prepared for some walking."

Naruto nodded, and then hunkered down in the gunner's seat of the custom Venom transport, looking forward to stretching his legs and getting out of the hurtling death trap that his guide called a transport.

* * *

**Battle Barge: Beta, 08:00 By the Ship's Chronograph, Distorted Time**

The Alpha Legion Battel Barge, Beta, ploughed through the warps en route to the Feral World of Aurum. It had been bypassed by Achilus Crusade at the beginning, and now sat forgotten much the same as many of the other worlds that had been beneath the notice of the crusade and the Tyranids. Now, in the livery of the Ultramarines, and broadcasting stolen transponder codes, the Alpha Legion warband born of the Efreet Stealth Squad and led by Omegon himself, aboard Beta, made for this forgotten world at the behest of their small but trusted and powerful Librarius.

Gammus, Chief Librarian and second in command of the Watchguard of Omega, found himself in the ship's Librarium, studying the collected lore of ten thousand years of campaigning from the shadow, only emerging to recruit and maintain appearances to deflect the suspicions of the other Traitor Legions. The oldest amongst them had served beside Omegon himself in the Efreet Stealth Squad, and still fought with the same ferocity and cunning as they had during the Great Crusade. Others, Gammus among them, had been recruited into the warband in their youth from one of many Imperial worlds that were hotbeds of civil dissent. These rebels were clean of any sort of warp-taint, thus they were deemed worthy of attempting the trials to become Alpha Legion Neophytes.

The Watchguard of Omega held firm to the Legion's beliefs, and stood in the shadows, ever vigilant in their search for ways to undermine the servants of chaos and prevent the Prophecy of The Cabal. They knew it was their duty to protect mankind even as they ravaged the Imperium, because though they might be counted among the Traitor Legions, they were still loyal to the Emperor.

When Gammus had prophesized that they would find a great and powerful warrior on a world forgotten by the Crusade for Jericho and unscathed by the Insatiable Devourers, it hadn't taken long for the warband's Librarians to determine that Aurum was where they would find this warrior. Now, as they were about to transition back into real space, the Chief Librarian still wasn't quite sure what he would be looking for on the surface of the planet, only that the time was now and that he would know it when he found it.

Leaving the Librarium and making for his cell, Gammus, with the help of a few serfs, began the process of donning his power armor. As each successive piece linked up with his black carapace uplink, those pieces of his armor became a second skin of sorts for him, until finally he donned his psychic hood. Clad in his matte black power armor, devoid of any emblems beyond a capital Omega emblazoned on his psychic hood, Gammus collected his bolt pistol and force halberd and made for the bridge of the Beta.

* * *

Gammus walked on to the bridge of the Beta, and was met with the barely contained energy of the bridge of a warship. Set in the middle of the room, and raised above all else was Omegon's command throne. It was wrought in the image of the Hydra beloved by both him and his brother, except where Alpharius favored a Hydra in blue, green, and red, the Hydra of Omegon was rendered in black, gray, and silver. Recessed immediately below Omegon's was the Captain's Command throne, and Beta's captain was one with the ship as he guided it towards Aurum.

He stopped beside his liege's command throne and waited for him to acknowledge his presence. Only a matter of minutes later, Omegon turned to greet his Chief Librarian. "Gammus. I was just about to send for you." He intoned calmly. Rising from his command throne, he motioned for Gammus to follow him. As they drew near the bridge's exit, he stopped, Gammus mirroring him.

"My lord." Gammus said, inclining his head.

"We draw near Aurum, Chief Librarian. I would have you lead the squad that goes to the surface to find this warrior." Omegon said. "I will send you and a contingent of veterans. Do not fail me."

"I will not disappoint you, my lord. Hydra Dominatus." Gammus said.

"Hydra Dominatus. Report to the hangar bay. A Stormraven has already been prepped for your deployment. Dismissed." Omegon returned to his command throne moving with a silent grace that had been honed over the millennia, while Gammus left the bridge and made for the hangars.

* * *

**The Webway, 23:00 By Naruto's Timepiece, Distorted Time**

They had abandoned the venom a ways back, and had been walking for a few hours by Naruto's reckoning. Parya had assured him that they were approaching their destination, and beyond that the two of them had exchanged few words. There was little to talk about since they didn't trust each other enough to exchange histories, and thus the silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, awkward, and certainly not companionable; it merely was there between an individual of great power and the one sent to monitor him.

Now, as Parya had assured, they were approaching their exit: a shimmering wall large enough a group of men to pass through three abreast, but, by its appearance, little else would fit. Perhaps a jetbike, but no tanks or great machines of war. They drew nearer to it, and now could make out the details of what lay beyond the portal: greenery and trees, shadows, mud, and the occasional animal. As secluded a place as any to exit the webway.

Naruto stepped through the shimmering barrier between the webway and real space, unaware of the massive ripples he would send out through the immaterium gradually gaining speed and volume until they became monolithic tidal waves of unimaginable power.

**End Chapter One**

* * *

**AN: Well, as I said, this was a surprise project. I will update when I can, but chapter two of this will come no sooner than after chapter eleven of Inside Out, Upside Down. That aside! Thank holya for his input and helping me farm ideas. He's a great guy. I shit you not.**

** Next chapter, we're looking at a lot of stuff happening, but first and foremost will be first contact between Naruto and the Alpha Legion. God I love those guys.**

** Don't throw shit my way about Parya. I know solitaires aren't supposed to feel emotion, and I addressed that. I cite artistic license, and lack of fleshed canon. If that wasn't good enough, there is probably a door somewhere near you. It is now proverbial. You may walk through it and never read Warped again.**

** Anyway, have a great evening, guys! As always review or PM, I love hearing from you.**

** Thank you,**

** E E Merica**


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